


All Together

by L0NE



Category: Nier Gestalt | Nier
Genre: Gen, it has papa nier and brother nier and wife and yonah as one big family, just an average day after the white chlorination syndrome took hold on the world, no real plot just them interacting with each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:15:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23406637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/L0NE/pseuds/L0NE
Summary: Yonah can see on Nier's face that he’s trying to think of the right thing to say, but she knows that’s a slippery slope. Trying to go against their father is a battle only their mother can win.After a moment, he starts, “But—““Nier.”And that’s all that has to be said to get the teen to sit down by Yonah’s side.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	All Together

**Author's Note:**

> hello this is my first nier fic in almost 3 YEARS!! i wanted to write about the hypothetical situation where papa nier/bro nier/yonah (+wife) are all in a family together.
> 
> if you haven't read my other nier fic (https://archiveofourown.org/works/11865810) this fic uses one headcanon from it which i will copypaste from the notes there:
> 
> "one of my big headcanons is that nier's wife is named yorha because I honestly find that idea to be very good (the android organization of automata being named after his wife out of irony or maybe respect to the original leader of the gestalt project)."
> 
> it's only mentioned once so no worries if you can't get too attached to that idea. anyways please enjoy!

“You swear you’ll be right back?”

Yonah is sitting on the tiled floor of an abandoned convenience store, her eyes squinted in disbelief as she looks up at her father. Had she not been winded from their family trek, she would most likely get up and grab him by his sleeve, to try and anchor him in place. The last thing she wants is to be seperated from her parents, even if just for a moment.

Her father nods, smile on his face. “I guarantee it. Your mother and I are just going to check the building to make sure it’s safe,” he says, pointing his thumb back toward the entrance a few feet away, where her mother is bouncing an iron pipe in her hands. It was a sturdy weapon she had found just a few days prior, picked up from an abandoned building they had taken shelter in for a bit, and it worked well enough on monsters and suspicious drifters alike. 

When Yonah looks up from the pipe and accidentally locks eyes with her mother, the latter beams a reassuring grin, but says nothing. There’s a touch of impatience in her, Yonah guesses, from the way she rips her gaze away soon after to keep her watch toward the outside. The snow that falls makes it hard to see much.

“Wait, you guys are leaving?” Nier calls from an aisle not too far away, then pokes his head out. In his arms he has a few dented cans of food and a pack of tissues, ones that Yonah hadn’t seen before their entry. A small sigh of relief escapes her— the last time they had found anything on their outings had been a week ago, so seeing even the smallest amount of _anything_ was reassuring. 

Nier walks over and motions to Yonah to give her his bookbag which rests next to her. She does so (noticing it’s shamefully light, and hopes the cans will add some weight to them), and he slips his findings inside. “It’s some soups and a pumpkin puree,” he says before anyone asks. 

“Thanks,” her father replies. “And we’re just going to check the perimeter. Nothing serious. But I want you to stay with your sister until we come back.”

Nier slips his backpack on and stares up at his father. Yonah can see on his face that he’s trying to think of the right thing to say so as to not challenge the instructions he was given too harshly, but she knows that’s a slippery slope. Trying to go against him is a battle only their mother can win. Even in the future, when Nier grows up, Yonah doesn’t see it happening.

After a moment, he starts, “But—“

“ _Nier_.”

And that’s all that has to be said to get the teen to sit down by Yonah’s side. 

With that, her father turns his back and raises a hand, “Stay put, you two.”

Yonah nods, and Nier leans back against the wall behind them with no response. The siblings watch as their parents walk out the front door, shutting it quietly behind them so as to not attract the attention of any monsters. Yonah gets a brief glimpse of her father on the other side of the glass producing a small machete from inside his coat before they both disappear off to the side. 

Once their footsteps fade, Nier stands up and holds out a hand to Yonah. Obviously, he was a lot more confident when he wasn’t at the immediate risk of being yelled at. “Come on, we should make headway while they’re busy,” he says softly.

Yonah shifts, worried. “Dad told us to stay put…”

“It’ll be fine. I just want to check out the back. There’s a staff room,” he explains to her, smile on his face. ”If it’s big enough, we’ll probably be able to hole up in here for a while.”

“But…”

“Taking shelter inside is a lot better than taking shelter in a parking complex or in an alleyway, don’t you think? Especially since it’s so cold now.”

Yonah wants to argue with him, but she can’t lie that the cold has really been getting to her lately. Her mother had given her her scarf and gloves a few days ago to keep her warm, but it also made Yonah feel guilty that she was taking away from someone else.

Even if there wasn’t any heat in the store, being surrounded by four walls could at least protect them from the wind and snow… And in the future, maybe they could even make it into a makeshift home. 

That thought makes her want to follow her brother’s lead.

Yonah takes Nier’s hand and gets pulled to her feet. He doesn’t say anything more, just gives her a small nod and turns around to lead the way. Hand in hand, the two of them walk further into the store, down its empty and dirtied aisles, where the light pouring in through the glass doors of the entrance don’t reach. Nier brings his flashlight from his pocket and shines it, kicking aside debris and going at a slow pace to make it as easy for Yonah to accompany him as possible.

When they arrive at the staff door and find it locked, it makes Yonah sigh, but it gives Nier hope. “There might be something good in there,” he grins at Yonah, “if they’re gonna keep it locked up like that.” He slips his backpack off his shoulders and reaches into its front pocket, then pulls out a hammer. She had seen her mother give him it for self defense use shortly after everything had begun going wrong, too overprotective to give him any sort of blade or more dangerous item, but she hadn’t even seen him use it until this moment.

“What’s _that_ gonna do?” Yonah asks, though the answer is obvious to her once the words leave her lips. Nier raises his arm that holds the tool up high and brings it down on the door knob, bending it slightly. He does so again, and again, and Yonah begins to worry about the noise they’re making, but before she can tell him to stop, the whole thing comes off, falling to the tile floor with a clang.

There is an orifice in the door now that Nier sticks his hand into after putting the hammer in his back pocket. Yonah can’t tell what he’s doing exactly, but it leads to a clicking sound after a few tense moments. In a very brute-force manner, it seems he’s unlocked the staff door.

“I can’t believe that worked…” Yonah murmurs. 

Nier takes his hand out and grips the opening with two fingers before pushing inward. “Honestly? Neither can I.” He says.

The excitement doesn’t last for long, though, because while the door opens, it immediately halts. Nier pushes harder, but it becomes clear that something is holding it back. The third time he pushes, there's a jangling sound, like that of a chain.

“So that’s what’s on it…?” He mumbles, making the connection. He shines his flashlight into the crevice, trying to find the whereabouts of the secondary lock. 

It’s then that Yonah notices a slight scent to the air. It wasn’t the one of the monsters— not the strong, seawatery smell of the salt creatures or the earthy smell of the black shadows that had popped up as of late— but something different. Something new. Like rotting garbage and metal. 

A sinking feeling sets into her stomach. These days, whenever something was unfamiliar, it always meant it wasn’t good. And that rule didn’t stop at people or things. “Uhm, Nier…?” She calls out, voice soft.

He’s busy undoing the chain from the other side, so he doesn’t turn around, but he does acknowledge her, “Yeah, Yonah?”

“D-Do you know what’s in there?”

“No, that’s why we’re checking it out. But I said it was probably something good, if it’s locked away…”

There’s a rustling sound, and Nier stands up straight, satisfied. Then, he turns around and extends a hand to her, same as before. The light from the flashlight shines in her eyes as he turns and nearly blinds her. “Alright, chain off. Come on,” he says.

But Yonah doesn’t move forward, the nervousness making her feet turn to lead. She’s too afraid to move— once she realizes that, the fear of the unknown actually sinks in, and she has to steady her voice. “I don’t think we should go in...”

Nier raises an eyebrow, then shrugs, thinking it to be just the normal cowardice of a child. “Alright, I’ll check first, then.” He pulls the hammer out from his back pocket, holds the flashlight up to the door, and then kicks it open with his foot, not really expecting too much—

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


—and then immediately reaches forward, grabs the door by its side, and closes it, hoping that his body in front of her prevented Yonah from seeing the bodies that were decaying inside.

There’s a moment of silence that follows.

Nier has to take a moment to process what just happened, and he grips the orifice he made in the door to ensure it stays closed while they’re still in front of it.

“I…” Nier starts, and then finds his voice is shaking, so he coughs, “I guess there was nothing of value in there after all.” He plays off the situation as coolly as he can, knowing that if he were to freak out or show even the slightest bit of fear, it could send Yonah into a panic that would be impossible to control without either of their parents around. He doesn’t turn around, though, because he knows the horror is clear on his face.

“What was inside?”

“A-A dead dog,” he lies, hoping that the mental image would repel Yonah from asking too much more. His heartbeat thumps in his ears. “That’s why it smelled so bad for a second there, when I opened it just now.”

“But how’d it lock itself in…?”

“...Well, i-if I can unlock it from the other side, then someone could probably lock it from the other side, right? I guess their owner must’ve been mad at it, and left it in there…”

If Yonah was older, she would see through his many lies so easily. All it would take would be a little bit of logic to make everything fall apart. In the future, he thinks, if there is one, things won’t be this simple.

But she seems to believe him, because the only thing she says in response is “Poor doggy…” and then nothing else. 

Nier takes her hand and leads her back to the entrance of the store, silent. It was only a few minutes, but it still feels like their endeavor took centuries— the flashlight feels heavy in his hand, and he’s grateful to put it away once they return to the section of the store that actually has light in it.

Yonah watches her brother put everything into his backpack, then hold it in his lap as he sits down by the entrance. She joins him at his side, leaning her head against his shoulder. “I always wanted a dog, y’know,” she mumbles. “When all of this is over, we should get one… Or two.”

Nier nods, “Sure, that sounds fun.” He always knows how to make her smile, going along with what she says.

“Oh, and I want a cat, too, so we’d have to get dogs that would get along with them, wouldn’t we?” She asks.

“It’s expensive to keep that many pets, you know.”

“We’ll have the money. I’ll start selling stuff. Like friendship bracelets.”

“Who’s buying friendship bracelets at a time like this?”

“After this is all over, silly.”

Yonah saying that makes Nier freeze. He doesn’t know what to say in response to such a casual comment about the end of the world, thinking that this would all just pass. Maybe that meant he was doing his job of shielding her from things pretty well.

“Ah, yeah, I guess—”

The entrance swings open, and their father walks in. 

The most obvious thing the two of them notice upon first seeing him is the blood that covers him, red seeped into his white hair and dark coat. It must not be his own, though, because he doesn’t act hurt in any way, but instead looks to the two on the floor with a curiously raised brow. “Hey, I thought I said not to move,” he chides them lightly.

“We just wanted to get more comfortable,” Nier lies instantly. He’s gotten better at that.

“All tile floor is the same, I’m pretty sure,” he replies. “Kids these days.”

Their mother comes in soon after, iron pipe covered in blood and black substance, and much bloodier than their father. At one point, the sight of her parents in such a state would have scared Yonah, but as the weeks had gone on, she became much more used to it. Still, though, her mother seems to be in peak condition, stretching out fine once the door is closed behind her and resting her weapon against the wall. There’s no sense or urgency between either of them, so the chance that the area is dangerous looks to be low.

“Were there a lot of them?” Yonah asks. 

“Yeah, but they were shadowy runts. Easy to take care of.” her mother answers, wiping her face with the back of her jacket sleeve to remove some of the blood from under her eyes. Then, she pulls out a handkerchief that had been permanently stained a long time ago, when they first started fighting the monsters, and pokes their father in the back. “Nier, dear, turn around so I can clean off your face.”

He turns and gets subjected to a painful, dry scrubbing that makes him try to back away in protest and has the two siblings laughing at his plight. She reaches up to try and fix his hair, but soon gives up once she realizes she’s making it worse.

“Wow, you look like a redhead, almost.”

“It’s because you keep smearing the blood around…”

“But look, I got it in my hair, too! So we’re redheads together!”

“ _Yorha_.”

Nier stands up from where he’s seated, the tissues he found earlier in his hands, and he hands it to his mother, who’s now giggling with the rest of them. She thanks him for the tissues and uses just a few of them to try and clean the two of them up as adequately enough as possible, then hands the package back to him. Yonah gets to her feet and joins them, pointing out areas her mother might have missed.

“We’ll have to wash these sooner rather than later… What was around here again?” Their father asks, gesturing to their outer wear.

Yonah tilts her head, “Oh, there was a laundromat down the street.” She says, remembering the sights she took in on their walk. A laundromat, a daycare, a doctor’s office… All abandoned, of course, and probably as emptied out of supplies as the convenience store was. It’s not like there’s a guarantee that the laundromat even has water, but they always decide to take action first, think later.

Her mother grins at her, “Alright, we’ll head over there, wash up if we can, and eat. Sound good, everyone?”

“Just don’t make Yonah walk too much,” her father warns. “We already covered a lot of ground today. Enough for her.”

“I’ll carry her if I have to! I’m big and strong,” she responds, then picks up her iron pipe from off the wall and opens the door to lead everyone out. Her father huffs at that, but heads out, and everyone else quickly follows. Nier prompts Yonah to hold her hand as their parents send jabs back and forth at each other about the amount of monsters they had fought, her mother pointing out that she had done more than him and thus backing up her claim that she was “big and strong”. Their father brushes her off smugly. 

Maybe it’s because she had experienced such shock earlier, but she finds herself appreciating this single moment. The fact that her family can keep humor about them and have goals is something Yonah is glad to have. She can hardly say that about some of the other people they’ve come across since everything fell, who drift from place to place with no purpose. 

Even if the entire world becomes like that, none of her family members would ever lose the life they have, she thinks. They would always be bouncing around the way they are now.

Her mother is always smiling for her, her father is always protecting her, and her brother is always by her side.

As Yonah feels the snow on her face, she thinks that things will be okay as long as they’re all together.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
